Washington, D.C., is more than a city — it’s a game.
It’s a high-stakes, winner-takes-all battle for influence where the rules keep changing, and the players rotate in and out like a never-ending reality show. Every few years, one party takes the lead, the other licks its wounds, and we all pretend like this time, the pendulum is staying put.
It never does.
The folks who stay on top, year after year, aren’t the loudest partisans screaming into the void. No, the true players in Washington — the lobbyists, the advisers, the strategists who make things happen — know that power is all about relationships.
Same Dance, New Partners
It’s election night. Half of Washington is popping Champagne; the other half is packing up their desks. New faces flood the White House, committee chairs get reshuffled, and suddenly, all those meetings you had lined up with high-ranking officials? Useless.
Unless, of course, you saw this coming.
The smart ones — the people who really understand how this town works — aren’t cozy with just one side. They’ve spent years, decades even, building bridges across the aisle. That way, when the political winds shift (and they always do), they don’t get left out in the cold.
You see it all the time. The same lobbyists, consultants, and power brokers manage to stay relevant no matter who’s in charge. That’s because they understand the golden rule of Washington: You don’t survive by picking a team; you survive by knowing the game.
Why Bipartisanship Is the Ultimate Power Move
Bipartisanship isn’t exactly trendy these days. In a world of online wars and cable news shouting matches, “working across the aisle” can feel like political suicide. But it still happens all the time — only not always in front of the cameras.
Every major industry, like health care, energy, defense, and tech, needs government support in one way or another, and the government, for all its dysfunction, still needs these industries. So the best political operators aren’t the ones sticking to party lines. Instead, they’re figuring out how to work within the system, no matter who’s making the decisions.
Take lobbying, for example. If you’re a company that wants to get something done in Washington, you’d be a fool to put all your eggs in one party’s basket. A Republican Congress today could be a Democratic Congress tomorrow.
The guy who’s blocking your bill right now might be the guy you need in six months, so the real players? They hedge their bets. They work both sides. They build coalitions that actually get results.
Nick Muzin, a seasoned D.C. superlobbyist with years of experience across multiple political cycles, now runs his own firm, Stonington Global, at the beating heart of Washington’s power network.
He says: “Washington is constantly shifting — power swings between Republicans, Democrats, and even different factions within each party. Politicians rise and fall quickly, so staying relevant means maintaining balance and building relationships on both sides of the aisle. Our firm has earned a strong bipartisan reputation.
“While my background is in Republican politics, we’ve also had a great run during the Biden administration, seizing opportunities on both sides. In this town, it’s about understanding the game and working within the system, no matter who’s in charge.”
The Revolving Door
If you’ve been around Washington long enough, you know the real action isn’t in press conferences or Senate floor speeches.
Take a closer look at the revolving door. One day, a senior Senate aide is crafting legislation — and the next, they’re at a lobbying firm advising corporate clients on how to work around it. An official at the Department of Health and Human Services today? Tomorrow, they’re consulting for a pharmaceutical company.
This isn’t corruption; no, it’s the system.
The people who really run Washington understand that political tides change, but power doesn’t miraculously vanish. It shifts, evolves, moves into new hands, and if you’re one of the lucky few who’s built relationships that span administrations, you’re always in the game.
That’s why the best strategists don’t burn bridges. They don’t get caught up in the noise. They know that today’s foe could be tomorrow’s ally, and that keeping your enemies close should never be reduced to a cliche. iIt’s the way you stay in business.
What’s Next? The Future of Bipartisanship
So where does all of this leave us? If the last few election cycles have proven anything, it’s that American politics isn’t getting any less chaotic. We live in a time of fierce power battles, stark ideological divides, and evolving political identities, yet Washington’s fundamentals stay unchanged.
Politicians will keep coming and going. Administrations will rise and fall. But the people who make things happen in D.C. — the dealmakers, the strategists, the power players — aren’t going anywhere. Because when it comes down to it, power in Washington is about who you know, how well you know them, and how smart you are about keeping those connections alive.
And for those who get that? They’ll keep winning, no matter which way the pendulum swings.
